Much effort has gone into developing motorized scooters, bicycles, go-carts, personal-mobility devices for handicapped persons, and other traditionally user-powered vehicles. Such powered vehicles often suffer from disadvantages such as noise and pollution (e.g., gasoline powered engines), extra weight (e.g., heavy batteries and motor components), and awkward center-of-balance issues when weight is not well distributed on the frame of the vehicle. Furthermore, a vehicle fitted with such a motor often is very difficult to manage when the motor is not in use, and it may be difficult or impossible to remove the motor from the vehicle. A need exists for a clean, quiet, powerful and lightweight motor source that is compact and easy to install and remove if desired.
The motor assembly of the invention provides a lightweight and powerful electric motor and mounting assembly that is compact and can be permanently mounted or easily installed and removed.
The electric motor assembly of the invention comprises a support structure that has a horizontal mounting surface and a vertical mounting surface, each of the horizontal and vertical mounting surfaces having edges and a notch in one edge. The horizontal and vertical mounting surfaces need not be strictly horizontal and vertical as installed or with respect to each other; rather, it is important only that enough structure exists to mount the motor, the batteries, and the entire assembly onto the vehicle as described herein. Thus, xe2x80x9cedgexe2x80x9d of the mounting surfaces as used herein is intended to mean a side of the surface, whether that side is straight, curved, or uneven in any way.
The assembly also includes an electric motor with an elongated spindle extending from the armature. The motor is capable of turning the elongated spindle when supplied with power. The motor is powered by a battery which can be connected to the motor, and the support structure is adapted to have both the battery and the electric motor mounted on it. The notch on the vertical mounting surface is sized to straddle the edge of a driven wheel of the vehicle, and the notch on the horizontal mounting surface is sized to fit onto a selected mounting point. Advantages of this mounting assembly include the need for only simple hand tools to affix the assembly to the vehicle without the need for additional brackets or supports; a compact design with the motor and battery located on a single support; and a safety feature that the mounting assembly limits rotational freedom of the wheel.